Fall Leaves and Street Sweeping 101

City of Auburn Public Works Staff

What do you do once summer is over and all those pretty leaves hit the ground?

A. Rake them into a big pile, jump in, take a picture and update your social media page;

B. Wait for a wind storm so they blow into your neighbor’s yard;

C. Collect and add to your compost pile or put in your yard waste bin.

The correct answer is C — although A then C works too.

Fall is a busy time of year for our storm drainage maintenance programs — leaves and debris removal become a focal point and you can help!

• Collect leaves from your yard and place them in your compost pile or put them in your yard waste container. If you hire a landscaper, be sure to remind them to keep fallen leaves on your property and never rake or blow leaves into the streets. This slows down our sweepers and routes since the operator will have to go back to the yard and dump leaves more often. Once leaves are in the street, they become hazardous waste due to the pollutants in the roadway and are no longer compostable.
• Clogged storm drains can cause flooding and other hazardous issues. Use a rake to clear leaves and debris from storm drains near your home or business so that rainwater can drain easily.
• Trim your trees and bushes that stick out over sidewalks and streets.
• Never attempt to remove a storm drain grate. If you cannot safely clean a storm drain without removing the storm drain grate, or if the water doesn’t drain after you have cleared the grate of leaves and other debris, please call our Maintenance and Operations staff at (253) 931–3048 or report it through our See Click Fix app.
• • Add calendar reminders of the dates your street will be cleaned by the street sweepers and don’t park in the street on those days. For more information about the City’s street sweeping schedule, visit the City’s website, and type “sweeper” in the Search box. The link to the ‘Street Sweeping Information & Schedule’ will take you to an interactive map, where, you can type in your address and see when we will be in your neighborhood next! Keep in mind that from October 1 through March 1, the street sweepers are not on a set schedule due to Fall/Winter weather conditions, which includes heavy leaf accumulations. During this time period, street sweepers will be sweeping as often as the weather will allow.